Girls de Rigeur: Başak & Defne Kocabıyıkoğlu
You know how we sometimes feel as if we are in control of what we wear when it comes to fashion? That is not always the case. There are always people behind the curtain such as Başak and Defne, directing us for the following season in the direction of what we like, how we can express ourselves or what we can get inspired by. Thankfully…
Before switching to fashion, one of you studied economy, and the other one design philosophy. Since your success in this business is undeniable, could we say this: “You don’t have to study fashion to be in this industry.”
In the contrary, we are for not studying it! We think that liberal arts is very important. A good education in politics, history, architecture or geography… This equips one with main points of views. In our opinion, the best way to put this education into the applied field is to begin as an apprentice.
How was your professional life affected by how you were raised? How big / small of an affect does your mother’s closet have on your life, for example?
Yes, we might have been affected by how small our mother’s closet was! While she had a high perception of aesthetics, we grew up with a mother who had a minimal wardrobe due to the hippie philosophy of the 70’s. I guess that kind of provoked some of our “maximalist” desires!
How do you settle those times when there is no “strength in numbers?”
To be honest we let it ride / give it time. This is a habit that comes from our childhood. Once the crisis of the first moment passes by, there is always a way.
In Turkey, it’s harder to earn respect in certain sectors compared to others. How aware were you of the steps you took in order to reach the success level you are at right now?
Our most important strategy has been saying ‘I don’t know’ to things we didn’t. As for the new subjects, we studied until we “learned” them. This is why our zone has been one where we have confidence in what we know and where we are good at our job.
What has been the best advice you’ve received so far?
From our father: Always be independent enough to pick up and leave.
From our mother: Never give up on yourselves.
What does the sentence that begins with “Let’s talk about anything but work for two seconds.” usually end with?
The dream of our next journey, sentences with “I have nothing to wear” or family affairs such as “Mom’s birthday is coming up.”
Can we say that deciding what women will wear is one of the hardest jobs in the world…?
Yes, because it touches upon people’s insecurities. Making something go with something else, feeling good in something, the ability to get inspired from yourself… Managing this psychology is actually the most important part of our job.
How do you train your eye? What helps you other than fashion?
Vacations. Dreaming. Reading. Watching.
Do you have a story where something you’ve seen during a vacation had an impact in your career?
Many! We are both very observant people. First and foremost, vacations are new areas that we can observe. Observing brand new people and coming up with new ideas through them sometimes ends up being the most fun part of the holiday.
If you were a character from a series, which one would it be?
We both answered it the same way at the same time! Maddie Hayes from Moonlighting.
I’m sure there are many things you have / will learn from one another, however as of now, what has been the most important thing you’ve learned from one another?
Başak – Not doubting yourself.
Defne – Not to speak feeling angry.